My mom had a Compaq with Vista on it and it made me want to go to the Compaq company and Microsoft and shove it up their asses! She had the exact same problem.
If it isn't finding wireless networks, I don't know what to tell you. If you get one of those Verizon USB things that connect to the internet with ease, then you're all set (but it sucks if you don't have a Verizon contract and you have 2 internet providers)
I might agree with Strider on that issue. Vista is a bitch when it comes to protection and drivers. 7 finds drivers easier than Vista does (XP you have to search for hours for drivers... I should know. I took a computer hardware class).
Try a paper clip and poke in the small hole to force eject it and make sure that its clean from any crap or debris in there. Personally, Compaqs have cheap-ass parts. Worse than HP's parts.